Many patients present with a pattern of enthesitis related arthritis termed undifferentiated spondylarthropathy. This may evolve into Ankylosing Spondylitis or Psoriatic Arthritis or gut related inflammatory arthritis but in up to 50% of cases the diagnosis does not change. This group of enthesitis related diseases can be difficult to recognise. This section covers this category of inflammatory arthritis.
Gut inflammation typically is associated with joint pain and swelling. There is increasing evidence that the major site of involvement in the joints in the arthritis associated with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns disease is at the attachment sites of tendons or ligaments ....
Most types of potentially serious and treatable arthritis can often be recognised early. For example, Rheumatoid Arthritis can typically be recognised in 70% or more of cases on the basis of small joint stiffness, swelling that may be subtle and a positive blood test ....